G40, VP allies war boils over

HARARE - Matters have come to a head in Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Midlands province as the factional wars devouring Zanu PF reached a crescendo last week with three embattled ministers, who have been under the cosh from the VP allies, seeking the intervention of acting President Phelekezela Mphoko.

Sources told the Daily News on Sunday yesterday that Mnangagwa’s allies who include Gokwe Nembudziya legislator Mayor Wadyajena, the youth provincial chairperson Edmore Samambwa and the provincial secretary for security Owen Ncube could be in serious trouble after the ministers Anastasia Ndhlovu, Tapiwa Matangaidze and Makhosini Hlongwane wrote to the top hierarcy complaining about harassment from the three.

Tomorrow, the burning province is supposed to have addressed the issue of intimidation against the three ministers, who are all linked to the Generation 40 (G40) faction that is associated with the influential First Lady Grace Mugabe.

In a letter addressed to the party’s secretary of the commissariat Saviour Kasukuwere and Mphoko, the three are seeking the protection of the party from their comrades who are giving them a torrid time because of their perceived loyalties.

And in defiance of President Robert Mugabe’s call to stop the raging factionalism, the three ministers are also being threatened with violence, something they note in the letter to Kasukuwere.

“It must be pointed out that the idea of clubbing all ministers in Midlands province into submission, is designed to remove their loyalty from (president Robert) Mugabe to submit them to an alternative narrative,” read part of the letter.

The other narrative, observers noted, is Mnangagwa the supposed godfather of the province where he is now losing his grip as ministers rebel against him and his lackeys.

Insiders say the ministers are also not happy with a five-member disciplinary committee that was set up by the province to look into their concerns, apparently because it is made up of “people loyal to Mnangagwa”.

This comes as authoritative sources told the Daily News on Sunday yesterday that the Zanu PF Midlands provincial coordinating committee had set in motion a processes that will culminate in votes of no confidence being passed on key Mnangagwa allies, beginning with Wadyajena.

“The province is on fire my friend because there are too many people who are suspected to be working against the first lady.

“The PCC is under pressure to rid itself of all such officials, particularly (Zanu PF deputy secretary for administration) July Moyo, Wadyajena and chairman (Kizito) Chivamba and their ouster through votes of no confidence is no longer a matter of if but when,” a politburo member from the province said.

While the province is said to be still in the process of coming up with evidence against Moyo — the alleged spin-doctor behind the Mnangagwa camp’s strategy — Wadyajena and Chivamba’s cases have been established and a “damning” dossier has since been submitted to the national political commissar Saviour Kasukuwere.

Wadyajena also stands accused of being behind the province’s youth wing resolution ahead of the recently-concluded Victoria Falls conference to have Kasukuwere fired as Zanu PF national political commissar in favour of someone with liberation war credentials.

This was after the Midlands youth secretary-general read out the resolutions by the youth league, accusing some senior party officials as being part of the G40 calling for disciplinary action against them.

Matangaidze was one of the senior members singled out by the pro-Mnangagwa youths as a member of the G40 camp and had to run for dear life as youths threatened him, accusing him of being a sell-out who was plotting against the party leadership.

The incident happened a few weeks after reports that Sports minister Hlongwane reportedly cried, as he was at pains to distance himself from the G40 at a provincial meeting as Mnangagwa’s allies plotted his ouster.

“In war, he who shoots first dies next and Wadyajena is a ‘legitimate’ target because he made the first shot.

“He has also been fighting the commissar in public and making headlines in newspapers. Now this is an opportunity we have to show him that such youthful exuberance does not work in politics so we will reduce him to his correct size.

“He will soon learn that the party leadership will not protect you when you cross the red line as he did because if they raise a helping hand, they will be exposing themselves as being the ones inciting you,” a midlands provincial youth member said.

Wadyajena, who chairs the parliamentary portfolio committee on Indigenisation has previously clashed with Kasukuwere in the National Assembly over the manner in which he allegedly distributed youth funds when he was Youth minister.

The clash saw Zanu PF youths in Harare baying for Wadyajena’s blood demanding his expulsion from the party.

This was followed by the Midlands youths resolving ahead of the party’s annual conference to push for a situation where “only a comrade with proven war credentials must be appointed national political commissar”.

why should they report violence when it is zanu's modus operandi? its a dog eat dog apa hapana anosara gwendo guno!!! I would be very happy should all the zoon goons decimate one another into smithereens!!!

josphat mugadzaweta - 11 January 2016

Thanks bhururu @misty. happy new year to you and the rest of our friends who take time to discuss little things that concern us about our country. I do not criticize mt for the sake of it. we have endured years of pain at the hands of politicians who think they should stay put irrespective of their failures. going forward, it would make sense that we do not allow politicians to hold us hostage again. the first thing to do is to ensure that political parties are not personalized. there has to be term limits which should be respected. once one's tenure is over they have to give way to another. it follows then therefore that leaders whether of opposition parties or sitting govmnt have to groom the next person within their term of office. the notion that there is no one in the breath and length of zimbabwe like mt is a recipe to disaster. he will grow big headed and entrench power around himself such that no one will be able to move him. when he went back on his promise not to overstay, he lost me and probably many other people.

zvirozviyedzwa - 11 January 2016

Haiwa muzowunza result , hamuzimi here ve kuti Oppah is gone as well and also that G40 was going for the Kill at the conference . Zviroto zviroto ...Ko Moyo ano swera nyomba VP , so its ok for Moyo kunyoma VP , but not ok for Wadjejena

Haiwavo tibvirwe zvedu - 11 January 2016

g40 can go for pupies n celebrate,its ok .they need smething to cheer them for all their failing ventures,1st lady,vic falls,mbuya madzongwe ,mutsvangwa, all failed projects.i now hear they want to bring up little Bona as well,in place of the failed madzongwe project.Bring her on,lets party.Wadyajena is a youthfull leader ,not the top leader of zanu.so even if they destroy this youngman ,so what?ofcourse having failed on big mutsvangwa ,its logical to lower yo grade n hope to win this time.To this day G40 has no known leader.they hide.scared to come out n play.Always looking for a woman to lead them bt again its not surprising why,kasukuwere ,zhuwawo,chiyangwa,moyo johnso,all raised by their single mothers as their fathers quit on them.Johnathan even going as far as wishing to be a woman himself.They run to mothers.This fact was revealed to 1st lady n now she treads wth caution with these fellows.Their tendencies are not nation building bt experiments based emotions aroused by their lack of full parental guidence when they wr young.To them leadership can just be changed easily,like waking up n mother telling yu we have a new daddy today.sinle mothers children.simply put.

viola gwena - 12 January 2016

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